COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS
Doug Davis
Owner/Publisher/Manager/Editor/
Writer/Gopher/Chief Cook & Bottle Washer
Thursday June 11th, 2015
Email: djdclassics@gmail.com
STORY BEHIND THE SONG
A lot of hit songs have been written in a matter of minutes while others have
taken years to complete and according to J.P. Pennington - Alabama's 1982 hit
"Take Me Down" was one of the latter.
Pennington says he had the idea in 1980 and wrote a couple of verses and a
chorus, then put the song aside and forget about it.
Later - during a writing session with Mark Gray - J. P. began singing "Take Me
Down." Mark Gray liked the idea and the pair finished the song.
Exile was first to record the tune but their single was soon forgotten. A year
later someone from the publisher's office sent a copy of the song to Alabama's
producer Harold Shedd - who played it for the group - and they loved it!
Alabama recorded the tune for their "Mountain Music" album before releasing it
as a single - which came on the country music charts May 29th, 1982 and was n
the top slot on July 24th.
"Take Me Down" was Alabama's 10th charted song and their 7th number one.
^^^^^^^^^^
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Q: I heard that Willie Nelson is writing his biography. Do you have any
information?
A: Willie's new memoir - "It's A Long Story: My Life" - features stories from
Willie's life - and is co-written with biographer David Ritz.
Q: Do you know anything about a new Oak Ridge Boys book?
A: Joe Bonsall has written "On The Road With The Oak Ridge Boys" which is
available thru Amazon.Com and the Oak Ridge Boys online store.
Q: I heard on the radio that Asleep At The Wheel is getting some kind of
award. Do you have any info?
A: Asleep At The Wheel's Ray Benson is being added to the Philadelphia Music
Walk Of Fame. He will be formally added to The Walk Of Fame by the Philadelphia
Music Alliance during a ceremony on the Avenue of the Arts on October 26th.
&&&&&&&&&&&
ATTENTION: our old email address
classics@countrymusicclassics.com is no more. Please delete that
address from your contact list and replace it with
djdclassics@gmail.com
&&&&&&&&&&&
Q: The radio guys were talking about Jim Ed Brown being seriously ill again.
Do you have any details?
A: Jim Ed is currently undergoing chemotherapy for his second bout with lung
cancer.
Q: Is Ray Stevens still in the music business? I haven't heard anything about
him in a long time.
A: Ray is still in the music business and has just released a video for his
new song "Taylor Swift Is Stalkin' Me." In the video - Ray plays the part of a
patient at the "Asylum for the Dangerously Daffy and Definitely Delusional."
Q: Do you have any information about a song titled "Melba From Melbourne?" I
heard part of it on the radio years ago.
A: That song was a track in Marty Robbins' 1964 "R.F.D." album
^^^^^^^^^
A T T E N T I O N: R A D I O S T A T I O N S:
Our short form daily radio feature, "Story Behind The Song" is now
available to radio
stations.
NOT AVAILABLE TO INTERNET STATIONS)
The feature is available at no charge.
For information, email me at
classics@countrymusicclassics.com
^^^^^^^^^^
NUMBER ONES ON THIS DATE
1946
New Spanish Two Step - Bob Wills
1954
(Oh Baby Mine) I Get So Lonely - Johnnie & Jack
1962
She Thinks I Still Care - George Jones
1970
Hello Darlin' - Conway Twitty
1978
Georgia on My Mind - Willie Nelson
1986
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - Ronnie Milsap
^^^^^^^^^^^
STARDAY RECORDS BACK IN THE DAY.
By: Jack Blanchard
When I first got to Nashville as a producer
Starday Records was the main country label,
and their recording studio was on Dickerson Road.
I had worked in studios in Buffalo, Detroit, Chicago, and Miami,
but this was a whole new experience.
Some of the Starday artists were Red Sovine, Johnny Bond,
Willie Nelson, George Jones, The Willis Brothers, Minnie Pearl,
Dottie West, Kitty Wells, Johnny Wright, and Roger Miller.
I wrote and produced for several artists there in the 1960's
and early 1970's.
Our old friend Tommy Hill was the house producer,
and the studio musicians were Pete Drake: steel,
Jerry Shook: lead guitar, Jerry Smith: piano,
Willie Ackerman: drums, and Junior Huskey on acoustic bass.
Tommy Hill played rhythm guitar,
and the backup singers were The Hardin Trio,
with Ray King added to sing bass.
Buddy Spicher may have sometimes played fiddle.
and the engineer may have been Scotty Moore.
It's been so long that I hope my memory is accurate.
In those days an artist or producer could do a session
at the Dickerson Road studio for $600 to $900..
This would cover the studio, the musicians and singers,
the engineer, and the studio time.
I had never seen musicians using The Nashville Number System
It was fast and accurate, and left space for improvisation.
Writing charts (sheet music) was my usual job, but not here.
We first played them a home made demo,
they made some symbols on yellow paper, and started playing.
It was better than anything I would have written.
My artists released singles and album material
on Starday, Starday-King, Gusto, and King labels,
all part of the Starday group.
A few of the sessions Misty and I produced at Criteria Studios
in Miami were also leased to Starday and King.
In the 1970's, the Gusto label was doing re-recordings of hit records.
They featured the original artist, but not the original backup.
Misty and I were asked in to redo Tennessee Birdwalk and Humphrey the Camel.
The backup music was prerecorded by their staff people,
and we sang over it, like karaoke.
I said to Tommy, "The key sounds a bit higher than our original."
He said, "A lot of older stars do these, and we raise the pitch
to make them sound as young as they did back then."
We thought we sounded sort of chipmunky.
These cuts were billed as "Original Hits by Original Artists",
but they weren't very close to the original hit sounds.
Anyway, they will live forever at Walmart on labels like K-Tel.
I'll always be grateful to Tommy Hill, Pete Drake, and Starday
for my early training in country music...
and to Junior Huskey for his friendship and moral support.
Jack Blanchard
http://jackandmisty.net
&&&&&&&&&
ATTENTION: our old email address classics@countrymusicclassics.com
is no more. Please delete that address from your contact list and replace it
with djdclassics@gmail.com
&&&&&&&&&
TODAY IN COUNTRY MUSIC HISTORY
Compiled by Bill Morrison
Edwin Duhon, "The Hackberry Ramblers," born Lafayette, LA 1910.
Brother Dave Gardner, singer/country comedy/drummer born Jackson, TN 1926.
Jud Strunk singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist born Jamestown, NY 1936.
Wilma Burgess born Orlando, FL 1939.
Hank Williams debuted as a guest, on the Grand Ole Opry in 1949. He appeared on
the 9:30-10:00 PM segment sponsored by Warren Paint, and hosted by Ernest Tubb.
He sang "Lovesick Blues," and received six encores.
Jimmy Arnold, Traditional Bluegrass/Vocals/Fiddle/Guitar/Harmonica, born Fries,
VA 1952.
Rose Maddox released "Wild Wild Young Men," 1955.
Marty Robbins released "Respectfully Miss Brooks/You Don't Owe Me A Thing" 1956.
Roy Orbison's first #1 hit "Running Scared" topped the Billboard chart 1961.
George Jones topped the charts with "She Thinks I Still Care" 1962.
Jay McDowell "BR5-49," born Bedford, IN 1969.
Conway Twitty's "Hello Darlin'" was #1 1970.
Ann Murray's "Heart Over Mind," album certified gold 1985.
Joe Val, age 58, songwriter/multi-instrumentalist died 1985.
Patty Loveless joined the Grand Ole Opry 1988.
Courtesy Bill Morrison:
<http://www.talentondisplay.com/countrycalMAR.html>
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
VIEW FROM THE FRONT PORCH
By: Stan Hitchcock
A beautiful morning in Tennessee,not a cloud in the BlueBird Sky and a cool
breeze stirring the Flag on the Front Porch. Lots of people in Nashville this
week for all the Country Music events, and soon Denise and I will gather
ourselves and head down to the Rope Lunch and Concert. It's kinda like our
Classic Country family reunion, visiting with old friends and meeting folks from
all over who still care about the music we all made. Yes, that music was made a
lifetime ago, but somehow, what was being sung and recorded in the 50's, 60's
and 70's had a special sound that people still remember and cherish. It was a
combination of musicians, songwriters, singers and recording studios, and
Producers that let the music do what music is supposed to do, and that is "go to
the heart and touch it. When you create music like that, it does tend to last
and become part of our culture. I am proud to have been a part of that era of
music making, and I hold all the others of that same era in high regard. God
Bless Us All.
Stan Hitchcock
www.hitchcockcountry.com -
http://www.hitchcockcountry.com
&&&&&&&&&
ATTENTION: our old email address classics@countrymusicclassics.com
is no more. Please delete that address from your contact list and replace it
with djdclassics@gmail.com
&&&&&&&&&
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
This is what the Lord says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the
strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the
one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight," declares the Lord.
– Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To unsubscribe from this newsletter: send an email to:
country-music-classics-off@mail-list.com
^^^^^^^^^^^
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To subscribe, send a blank message to country-music-classics-on@mail-list.com
To unsubscribe, send a blank message to country-music-classics-off@mail-list.com
To change your email address, send a message to country-music-classics-change@mail-list.com
with your old address in the Subject: line
To contact the list owner, send your message to
country-music-classics-list-owner@mail-list.com
Doug Davis-Country Music Classics-3702 Pleasant Grove Rd-Texarkana, Texas 75503
To unsubscribe or change your email address, click here.
<http://cgi.mail-list.com/u?ln=country-music-classics&nm=thegblogindy%40gmail.com>
No comments:
Post a Comment